About Back Then
by ZigFuckingNovak
Summary: In grade 9, Zig got his girlfriend Maya pregnant and ran off when she decided to keep the child. Almost two years later, he comes back with the goal of attempting to rekindle Maya's trust and to be the Father he never was. [collaboration piece w/ LazyAzura] [Rated M for later chapters]
1. Chapter 1

**About Back Then:**

**Chapter One**

**A collaboration piece by ZigFuckinNovak and LadyAzura**

Although the second hand on the clock ticked by, time seemed to move so slowly.

Zig Novak took a small hit of the cigarette that was cradled between his two fingers, before parting his lips to allow a steady stream of smoke to flow through. He was nervous. The cigarettes calmed his nerves. He remembered their freshman year. Here at Degrassi. The two of them found each other. They found each other, liked each other, dated each other, and eventually, he had come to know the gentle curves of her young body. He could still see flashes of it. Her lips wrapped around him, her blue eyes glancing up at him to drive him wild. Those lips had been on his own so many times. Those lips whispered secrets. They spoke of future plans. They laughed and they smiled. He too, had laughed and smiled along with them. He was so naive then. So fucking stupid.

He crushed the butt end of his cigarette into the ash tray of his car, rubbing it in as though he were stubbing out the ugly thoughts that threatened to take over. Tilting his head back against the head rest, his eyes closed. He could still picture everything that happened. Everything.

_'Look, I'm not about trying to be a Dad at sixteen! This is fucking ridiculous! Don't you see that our lives are going to be ruined? RUINED. Gone. Done! Why do you want to keep this baby? We can just get an abortion…I will even pay for it.' _

His eyelids tightened with pain as he relived some of that things that he said to her. Some of the awful things that he said to the blonde girl with the short stature and the slender fingers of a cellist. He wondered if she still played. It had been so long since he had spoken to her, it felt like. In truth, it had only been close to two years. Close, simply because it took nine months for the child to grow. By the time the baby was coming, he had moved out of town where he had found a job. Lived in a shitty apartment. The works. He would do anything to run away from the problem that he helped create. That 'problem' was partially why he was back in Toronto. He was wrong. He couldn't run. Not even in his sleep. The dreams of her face, befallen and filled with bewilderment and pain…the expression flooded his memories and haunted his nightmares. He knew that what he had done was shitty.

He waited now, head dizzy with anxiety as his car remained in park outside of a small day care nearby Degrassi High. He had heard through the grapevine that this was where she often took their child. Their child was apparently a girl. Zig had a little girl. He felt his heart squeeze. She had been without a father for a whole year. Her mother, without a supportive boyfriend to help take care of them both. He was a piece of shit and he knew it.

Once a car pulled up, he straightened his posture, his eyes squinting in order to see who it was. He had seen blonde hair.

_Yep, there she was. _

Maya Matlin, coming out of the car with a blanketed child.

She awoke to a shrill scream piercing her ears and groaned, forcing herself to get up and walk over to the crib on the other side of the room. "Muhhh!" The infant inside sobbed, lifting her tiny arms. Maya sighed, leaning down and picking her up. "Shh. It's okay, Maddie. Mommy's here." She cooed, bouncing her gently. After a few minutes, Madison Matlin settled down, but continued to mouth her clothed shoulder. Maya giggled. "Silly girl. Are you hungry? Come on, let's go make you breakfast." With that, she made her way downstairs and to the kitchen. After getting Maddie seated in her highchair, Maya grabbed a bowl and some cheerios and placed it in front of her. Maddie squeaked and started eating them one by one, all the while watching her frazzled mother make up a plate of scrambled eggs.

It was seven-thirty by the time Maya was ready to go. She had thirty minutes to drop Maddie off at daycare and get to school before class started – hopefully her daughter wouldn't put up much of a fuss. "Ready?" Her father asked, walking down the stairs, dressed for work. Maya nodded. "Yeah. Let's go – I need to look over my Chemistry notes. There's gonna be a pop quiz."

"I'll be here to pick you up at two. Be outside waiting for me." Mr. Matlin told his youngest daughter. After bidding her and his granddaughter farewell, he drove off. Maya let out a sigh, shifting Maddie around in her arms. "Come on, Bug. Let's get you to daycare." She cooed, heading towards the building.

Zig fumbled with his seat belt before finally managing to get it off, getting out of the seat and shutting his car door behind him as he jogged up to her. "Wait! Maya!" He called out, coughing a bit as he tried to catch his breath. Picking up smoking after he left wasn't exactly one of his best decisions. Although, he hadn't been making those for quite awhile.

Maya recognized Zig's voice immediately and froze mid-step, her mind suddenly bombarded with memories she'd much rather forget – of them making out in empty classrooms; of them tangled together in her sheets, moaning and gasping and bringing each other to heights neither had known existed. Then, of course, her finding out that she was pregnant and him leaving, wanting nothing to do with her or the child he'd helped conceive. Feeling her throat start to tighten, Maya quickly shook these thoughts from her head and kept her face indifferent as she turned around to face him.

"Well, if it isn't the Dead Beat." She remarked coolly. "Never thought I'd see your face around here again. Get any other girls pregnant and abandon them lately? That seems to be your thing." In her arms, Maddie let out a gurgling sound and Maya turned her attention back to her. "Shh, Bug. We'll get you inside soon. It's cold, isn't it? Yes, it is." She kissed her daughter's cheek and bounced her gently.

Zig's lips pursed into a thin line some as she snapped at him. Ouch! He knew he couldn't pity himself too much, though. He simply deserved it. Everything that she said was true. He parted his lips to…say what? That he woke up one morning and realized that he was a fucking idiot for what he had done back then? Although it was true—-did it even seem believable? His attention was pulled away from his attempts to create words by the soft sound of the blanketed being in Maya's arms. He felt his face soften. Suddenly, the words seemed to find themselves ascending up his throat and through his lips: "…Please. Can I talk to you after you..drop her off? I know that you hate me, and I don't blame you, but…please. Just give me ten—-no, *five* minutes of your time.." His eyes went down to the small, squirm-y child again. He couldn't see her face because of the blanket. He was dying to know what…his baby looked like. Their baby.

"…Can you..move the blanket some?" He croaked, his voice almost a whisper. "Just for a minute…I just want to see..her face, Maya.."

Maya promptly rolled her eyes at his request. Five minutes of her time? He didn't even deserve two_seconds_ of it after what he did. But this was Zig she was talking to, and Zig was nothing if not persistent. He wouldn't stop pestering her until he got what he wanted. "Fine. Five minutes. No more than that." She said. She narrowed her eyes dangerously when she saw his gaze drop to the bundle in her arms, and held her daughter protectively, her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive.

When he asked to see her, Maya let out a dry laugh. "Oh, _now_ you want to see her? Where the hell have you been for the last year and a half?" She snapped, glaring coldly at him. "You don't deserve to see her. You don't even deserve to _look_ at her." She wanted nothing more than to yell at him and slap the ever-loving shit out of him — let out all of the frustration and hurt she'd been bottling up ever since he abandoned her — but she couldn't. Not around their daughter. _Her_ daughter, she mentally corrected.

"Maya!" He stepped forward, his hand out to touch her shoulder, but he retracted it back to his side and balled it into a fist. His jaw was clenched with frustration at the situation. He knew he didn't deserve to be in their lives, but. "Goddammit, Maya…please? She…she is mine too..I was stupid, okay? I just want one look at her face before we talk just in case you decide you don't want any more of me after we talk, alright?" He sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. He didn't even know her name. Maya kept referring to her lovingly as 'Bug.' It was cute. However, it was not his child's name and he could feel his anxiety stirring in his stomach from how much he didn't know about this child that was half him.

"I will tell you…where I was and why I'm here, if you just let me look at her face for one minute, and then come with me to The Dot. Please. For old times sake? We…were in love once." He bit his lip, realizing how pathetic he sounded and not giving a single fuck about it. He could see blonde, baby hair peeking up from the top of the blanket. So, she was a blonde like her Mother. What did she have of his, if anything? He wanted so much to see.

Maya recoiled as Zig reached towards her, relaxing slightly when he gave up. She barked out a laugh. "_Yours_?" She repeated in disbelief. If looks could kill, Zig Novak would be a pile of ashes right now. "Sorry,_Zigmund_. You forfeited that right when you decided to leave me to deal with her on my own." She said coldly. Her lips curled into a small sneer as he continued. "Stupid does not even begin to describe you. There are much more fitting words, but I can't say them right now." She peered down at Maddie, who was looking up at her with wide eyes, her mouth hung open. Maya smiled lovingly at her before glancing back at Zig. She couldn't help but feel smug as she took in his anguished expression. Good. She wanted him to hurt.

She scoffed at his next words, rolling her eyes. "_Love_? Is that what that was? Give me a break." She muttered, before noticing the time on her watch. "I have to drop her off. I have class in like fifteen minutes. We'll talk about this later." Turning away from him, she continued her journey to the daycare centre, only to pause to look over her shoulders. "Maddie. Her name is Madison Margaret Matlin. Just in case you were wondering." She told him, before disappearing into the building.

"I got *scared*, Maya!" He shouted back at her as she made her way to the day care, before lowering his voice when he quickly remembered that not only is their daughter in her arms, but, they were in the presence of a day care where other children are obviously going to be. Zig felt a lump swell in his throat. He swallowed it hard, lifting both of his hands and running them through his hair in frustration as he paced a couple of times before cursing to himself and stomping to his car that was parked across the street. He swung the door open and slammed it close. If there was one thing about him that hadn't changed; it was his temper. Zig reached onto the floor of his car, groping for his pack of cigarettes. Once he found them, he quickly pulled one out and lit up. After he had taken a few big hits, he leaned back in his seat. Just the way he did before he stupidly approached her. Before she threw it in his face how much of an idiot he already knew he was. He knew that he deserved this treatment but it didn't make it any less painful.

_Despite this, she had agreed to meet him._

_Despite this…_

_He knows her name. Madison. Maddie._

A small smile formed on his lips as his eyes glistened. He loved the name.

**~ End of Chapter 1 ~**

**Reviews are always appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

**About Back Then: **

**Chapter Two**

**A collaboration by ZigFuckingNovak and LadyAzura**

Maya tapped her foot impatiently as she sat at the back of the Dot, waiting for her "Baby Daddy" to show his face. After a long, grueling day at school in which she dreaded having to talk to Zig again, the final bell had sounded and she'd been the first one out the door. When her father came to pick her and Maddie up, she told him she was meeting people for a study session before kissing her daughter goodbye and heading to the Dot. Once she reached her destination, she texted Zig.

_**At the Dot.**__****_

She sighed, combing her fingers through her hair and sparing anxious glances at the clock on the wall. She was so ready for the day to be over and done with. Taking a sip of her smoothie, she took out her phone and checked for any missed messages before deciding to look through her pictures while she waited. The more recent ones were all of Maddie. She smiled as she continued to scroll. So lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the door chime or see Zig enter.

His phone buzzed loudly against the dashboard of his car, sliding over and falling onto the floor. "Dammit.." He sighed as he pulled his car alongside the curb of the place where he and Maya used to go on dates as niners. The place was painted differently, now. He was pretty surprised at how much things changed since he left town a year ago.

Zig leaned down to snatch his phone from the floor, the screen lit up with Maya's name. 'At The Dot.' It read. He didn't realize his leg was bouncing nervously until his cigarette pack fell off his lap and onto the brake pedal. He was such a mess. Nervous. Sick. What if things didn't go over at all? He would never get to be with Maya again. Most of all, he would never see his little girl. All it took was one peek at that fuzzy blonde hair on her head and his heart twisted up. He regretted not being there. For Maya. For the pregnancy. For the labor. All of it.

Maybe now he could change things. If only Maya will let him. Zig got out of the car, deciding to leave his cigarettes inside as he shut the door and made his way to the glass door of the cafe.

Maya was seated somewhere towards the back, her eyes focused on her phone. Was she texting him again? He took his own out of his pocket to double check. Nope. Maybe she was texting..someone else? That struck a small chord with him. The thought of some other guy acting like a Dad to his daughter, and some other guy flirting with the girl that he's been in love with for so long…

He slid the chair across from her from beneath the table and took a seat. He cleared his throat a bit to get her attention. "..Um, hey." He sighed, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. About earlier. About.." He blinked hard, keeping his eyes closed a moment as he tried to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. God he needed a cigarette. "About just showing up like that. I know it's fucking crazy. Okay? I know…I know it's been a couple years since we've since each other. I know that's my fault. I know I'm the idiot that broke your heart. I know I…left you and our baby…but.." He tried not to get super emotional in such a public place. He was seventeen. He should know by now how to control his emotions. This was getting to be too much, though. Seeing Maya again. Trying so hard to win her back. "…Please.." He whispered. "Please…can I see a picture of my baby? Please? I am sorry…I just…I came back…to make things right.."

Maya jumped slightly when she heard his voice, her head snapping up in shock before she narrowed her eyes. "You came." She said, not sure what to feel. Surprised? Disappointed? At least if he had chickened out and bailed, she could've held his lack of word over his head the next time he came crawling back to her – if he ever did. But he was here. He had actually shown up. Maya sighed, putting her phone away and leaning back in her seat with her arms crossed as she listened to his apology. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?" She snapped quietly, trying to keep her voice down. Even though Maddie wasn't with her this time, she didn't want to make a scene at the Dot. She licked her lips, eyeing Zig with contempt and trying to ignore the rage bubbling up inside of her as he referred to Maddie as his daughter.

"She's not your daughter." She spat, venom laced in her voice. "You would've had to _be_ there in order for her to be yours, but you weren't, were you? _I'm_ the one who carried her around for nine months and had to endure all the gossip at school. _I'm_ the one that gave birth to her. _I'm_ the one that changed her diapers and stayed up half the night with her and took care of her. It was all _me_. She's _my_ daughter – not _yours_." Maya took a deep breath to calm herself. Once she'd managed to regain her composure, she took out her phone once more. "But since you're so _fucking_ curious…" she said, turning it on and bringing up a picture of Maddie before sliding it across the table so that he could see. "There."

His nose wrinkled some in utter confusion. "Yeah? …'Course I came," He mumbled. "I mean," He tried offering a small smile. "I'm the one that ambushed you out in front of the day care just to talk to you, aren't I?" Zig leaned back some as Maya's voice lashed at him like a sharp whip. It felt like she had taken a damn grenade and launched it off in his chest with how much of an ache he felt just from the way her eyes seemed to burn into his. Resentment. He felt a chill make its way down his spine as he momentarily recollected a time when the sun seemed to bounce off the back of Maya's irises as they'd walk hand-in-hand down the street to school. It made her eyes seem like they were glowing. Her smile had been tinged with the innocence that she once had. The innocence that he took and made dirty.

These were the same blue eyes that were piercing into his green in the middle of their old, 'romantic' venue of choice. He felt that stupid lump swelling in his throat again. His fault. His fault. His fault. Zig parted his lips as though he had some sort of valid argument to counteract the awful—-but true—-things that Maya was saying to him. He had nothing. Nothing at all. Thankfully, Maya took away his awkward silence by shoving her phone at him. He shakily reached onto the table, his hands getting clammy, his heart accelerating. He was going to finally see her.

The picture that filled the phone was…adorable. The little girl, the toddler, his…daughter. She was smiling at the camera, and apparently trying to grope for it simultaneously. Her eyes. Her eyes were big, green orbs. There was that silk-woven blonde hair that he had seen. His eyes couldn't seem to remove themselves from the screen that glared back at him. His entire face had softened. He gulped a bit as his fingers raked once down the screen. He wished he could touch those chubby cheeks. Even once. Kiss them. Apologize. Kiss her again. Apologize. Repeat.

"…She's..she's beautiful..like her Mother.." He choked out.

Maya watched him intently, her hand itching to snatch back the phone, but she kept it on her lap. Taking in his anxious demeanor, she noticed how his expression softened the moment he laid eyes on Maddie. She remembered, after giving birth and holding her daughter in her arms for the first time, wanting to see this – to have Zig there and looking at Maddie with that love. But that was a long time ago. Now it just made her angry. How dare he come waltzing back when it was convenient for him and suddenly want to be a dad? When he called her beautiful, Maya nearly lost it. Deciding he'd had enough, she reached over and snatched her phone back, taking silent delight in how his face fell.

"So," she said, pocketing her phone and clearing her throat. "What did you want to talk about? Remember, you have fifteen minutes, so pick your words carefully." The quicker she got out of there, the better. She took another sip of her smoothie as Zig seated himself across from her and racked his brain for the appropriate thing to say.

He remained back in his chair for a few minutes, before leaning in against and resting his forearms on the table. "Okay," Zig began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "When I ended up leaving town…I got my GED instead of finishing school over there. I ended up getting this full time job through someone my Ma knows. I'm not extremely rich, Maya, but…I have an apartment. I talked to my job before I came here and they are willing to transfer me here. If…I saw that your Dad was with you and Maddie outside the day care, dropping you off. I have a car. I have shit that you might want. If you're tired of living with your parents with Maddie…I can move down here again, and you and her can stay with me. We don't have to date. I'll even make sure you sleep in the bed and I'll sleep on the couch out in the living room. I won't bother you. I just want…" He paused, biting his lower lip. "I want to do something. Anything. I know I can't take back what's already happened…but, I can make life a little easier for you *now*..in the present. If that counts for anything."

As she listened to Zig speak, Maya kept her face impassive and unreadable, not wanting him to see how she was really feeling – torn. She was beyond conflicted. On one hand, she was still angry and hurt and wanted nothing more than to just get up and leave without another word. But there was a part of her – albeit, a very small part – that wanted to take him up on her offer. Sure, her parents were helping her out with Maddie, providing them with food and a roof over their heads, but they could only do so much. With her mother's medical expenses, a baby only added more stress to her parents. She sighed, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to put a barrier between them.

"Moving in with you is out of the question." She told him once he was finished. "It's not happening. _Ever_." She licked her lips when she noticed Zig's face fall, before tearing her gaze away and staring out the window. "But… it would be nice to have some extra money for clothes and toys. She doesn't have a lot of those and she's growing up pretty fast. So if you're really serious about this… prove it." Maya looked over at him once more, waiting for his reaction.

Zig opened his mouth to protest, hoping he could somehow sway the argument to go in his favor. What could he say, though? "Maya…I mean..wouldn't it be nice to have basically your own space? I'll stay away unless you want some help with Maddie.." His voice seemed to falter slightly upon the mention of their daughter's name. "You don't have to work. I pick up over-time shifts all the time…just, think it over, alright?" He started tapping his fingers on the table, his leg bouncing beneath it and causing the table to shake slightly. He was really itching for a fucking cigarette.

"Prove it?" He asked, raising both of his brows. He looked away from her, clearly thinking this over. His eyes returned to her blue ones, and without a beat, he said, "Fine. I will. I will find a place. Give me two weeks to find an apartment that would be good for our…situation," He bit his lip, waiting for her response.

Maya sighed as she listened to Zig plead with her. He was making it very hard for her to say no, even though the last thing she wanted was to be anywhere near him, much less live under the same roof. She couldn't help but notice how anxious he seemed and took another sip of her smoothie, regarding him with a blank expression as he declared that he would, in fact, prove it to her.

She snorted at his eagerness before finishing off her smoothie and setting it aside. "Your fifteen minutes is up." She informed him, rising to her feet and shouldering her backpack. Maya was about to head out the door but paused momentarily. "I'll think about it." She said quietly without looking at him before exiting the Dot.

Zig offered a weak smile, "That's all I could ask for, Maya…just think about it." He stood up when she did, watching her as she walked away. Maybe this could finally end up being his chance to make up for his absence. He could make it up to Maya, and to…Maddie. The little blonde that stared at him with green eyes so similar to his own from the screen of Maya's cell phone. Although Maya was still being short with him, he couldn't help but feel immense gratitude for the fact that she was even considering this idea at all. "….Thank you," He whispered as she let the door close behind her, even though he knew she could not hear him.

**~ End of Chapter Two ~**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 2 point 5

**About Back Then:**

**Chapter 2.5**

**A collaboration by ZigFuckingNovak and LadyAzura**

"FINE! I'LL GET A JOB!" Maya shouted at the top of her lungs before slamming the door on her parents and locking it for good measure. Behind her, Maddie was sobbing in her crib from all the yelling. Maya quickly rushed over and scooped her up, rocking her gently. "It's okay, Bug. Everything's fine. Mommy didn't mean to yell… shhh…" After about ten minutes, Maddie's cries finally died down to whimpers and Maya let out a deep breath, sitting down on the edge of her bed with Maddie on her lap.

Her parents wanted her to start paying rent. They were tired of her "lazing around" while her father struggled to pay the bills. Closing her eyes, Maya combed her fingers through her hair and thought about what she was going to do next. A part-time job wouldn't be enough to pay rent and support Maddie; she'd have to get a full-time job. But that would require dropping out of school, meaning she wouldn't graduate and get her diploma. She was already a year behind and now she was going to end up some loser working at McDonalds for the rest of her life. Unless…

Leaning across her bed, Maya fished her phone out from her purse and scrolled through her list of contacts. When she finally found the name she was looking for, she sent out a quick text.

'When can we move in?'

**~ End of Chapter 2.5 ~**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 3

**About Back Then:**

**Chapter Three**

**Collaboration between ZigFuckingNovak and LazyAzura**

**Text: Zig**

**Maya:** When can we move in?

**Dickhead:** you're gonna come? :D what made you change your mind?

**Maya:** I had a fight with my parents.

**Dickhead:** Oh..shit..

**Dickhead:** are you okay?

**Maya:** Yeah, I'm just... frustrated. Sorry for doing this so out of the blue.

**Dickhead:** No, no, I mean...I'm sorry it happened like this, but I do want you and Maddie to come stay. I'm taking a look at this place that looks pretty promising this weekend. Why don't you come take a look with me?

Zig looked up at the apartment he was considering for purchase for himself, Maya, and little Maddie. He flipped open his phone, double checking the time when Maya was supposed to show up with her. They had agreed to live together on the terms that he was to sleep on the couch and not to touch or bother Maddie unless Maya wanted him to. It pained him to know that he couldn't just take her and have her fall asleep on him; however, he was lucky he was even getting to see her at all. He was lucky Maya even gave him the time of day. Although he felt bad that she got into a fight with her parents—-a selfish part of him was glad. Glad that they'd get to live together and he could finally prove that he could be a parent of some sort. So he hoped.

He smiled when he was approached by the landlord, whom extended his hand to shake with his. "Hello, ! Were you waiting on someone other than me?" He grinned.

Zig chuckled and nodded, "Uh, yeah, my…friend and our daughter is coming." The landlord's brows furrowed in bewilderment, "You mean your girlfriend?"

Zig shook his head, "Uh, no…I don't."

Awkward silence.

He typed into his phone, "help, hurry here before the landlord's judging face gets more intense!"

Maya rolled her eyes at Zig's latest message. "Is this the place?" Mr. Matlin asked his daughter as he pulled up to their destination. Maya checked the address Zig had texted her and nodded. "Yeah, this is it." She informed him, getting out of the car. After popping open the trunk and retrieving the stroller, she walked around to unfasten Maddie from her car seat and place her in her stroller instead. "Thanks for the ride. I'll be home later." She said. Her father nodded and promptly drove off. Maya let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair before making her way towards the front entrance of the building.

Spotting Zig standing there with a man she assumed to be the landlord, Maya plastered a fake smile on her face. "Sorry I'm late! Traffic is crazy today!" She chirped, walking up to Zig and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She smirked when he threw her a puzzled look, clearly not expecting the sudden display of affection – but she was trying to put on a façade. The more they acted like a couple and not just two people raising a baby, the likelier it would be that they would get what they wanted. She turned her attention to the landlord next. "Shall we?"

"Heyy!" Zig called out as Maya approached himself and the landlord; Maddie gurgling and kicking in her stroller. His face fell into a look of obvious ignorance as Maya planted a kiss on his cheek. As Maya chatted up the landlord, he was in the background, his hand rubbing his cheek as a goofy grin slowly creeped up on his features. Ooo!

He quickly resumed attention back to the matter at hand as he realized the landlord was looking at him to help confirm that they were all ready to go. "Uh, yeah! Let's go!" He said cheerfully, as he stood next to Maya. While they walked behind the landlord to enter the apartment, Zig asked her quietly through gritted teeth, "what the fuck with the cheek kissing? I thought you hated my guts!" He cut himself off, making a big, fake smile at the landlord, who turned around after opening the door to allow them access to the home. "Come on in! As you can see, the living area is rather spacious for an apartment—"

"Because two people who aren't dating but have a baby and want to live together sounds suspicious. I'm trying to keep up an appearance." Maya told him quietly, so the landlord couldn't overhear. She pinned him with an icy stare. "But make no mistake. I do hate you, and if I wasn't so desperate right now, I wouldn't be doing this." Her faux smile returned as soon as the landlord turned his attention back to them and opened the door to their potential apartment. Brushing past Zig, Maya stepped inside and unbuckled Maddie from her stroller, deciding it would be better to carry her than to risk leaving marks on the floor.

It was small, but certainly cozy. "It's nice." Maya commented as the landlord showed them around. The living room was big enough for a couch, TV and coffee table while still having enough space for Maddie to play in. As the landlord led them down the hall, he showed them the kitchen (small but manageable), the bathroom (which needed a few touchups but nothing drastic) and then moved on to the bedrooms – a Master and a regular-sized one. Maddie tugged on her hair and Maya rubbed her back.

"Suspicious?!" He whispered back, confused and trying to laugh. "Suspicious of what, exactly? It isn't really against the law or anything for two people to—-" The landlord cleared his throat, and Zig straightened up, "Yeah, yeah, I do like that closet.." The landlord smiled, "Very good! There is also one in—-"

"live together!" He finished, before rolling his eyes as Maya pointed out the fact that this entire situation was only crystallizing due to her lack of options. Zig knew this, but refused to pull himself out of the denial that seemed to appear quite a bit whenever he was talking to Maya anymore. He wanted so badly for things to be normal. He then got a bright idea. If she was going to be mean, he could be mean, too! He smirked to himself a bit as he walked up to her, "So, *dear*," He emphasized dear, licking his dry lips a bit. "How do you like the place so far? How about I hold little Maddie?" He raised his brows, before glancing over at the landlord, smiling, and then looking back patiently at Maya. He could feel the halo warming his head and the horns that were there to 'hold it up.' "Because it seems that she's found a new toy—-your hair," He chuckled, the landlord laughing with him, simply because he wanted to sell the apartment.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Just roll with it. Pretend to me my boyfriend. It'll be just like old times." She said, trying purposefully to get under his skin. After a few minutes of talking to the landlord and deliberation on Zig's part, Zig finally decided to do what she said. Her stomached churned in disgust when he called her "Dear" and all she wanted to do was gag. But when he asked to hold Maddie, she all but flew off the handle. Struggling to maintain her composure, she smiled up at him tightly. "That's so sweet of you to offer, Ziggy… but I can handle this. Besides, she might try to pull your ears off and we wouldn't want that."

She glanced down at Maddie, who stared back up at her with a pout. Maya smiled at her and spun back around to face Zig. "I like it. I think we should get it. Just think of all the _fun_ we could have, Zigmund." Her eyes twinkled suggestively and she leaned up, balancing Maddie in one arm while cupping the back of his neck with her free hand. "Whaddya say? Is this our new home?" She asked. If he was going to play dirty, she would too.

He snickered a bit when he saw the look of disgust in her eyes at him calling her by the pet name. Zig twitched a bit in his eye, clenching his jaw slightly as Maya denied his request to hold Maddie. "Haha, oh, darling, I sure hope she doesn't pull your hair *too* hard, that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" He fake laughed, the landlord staring uncomfortably at them. "Ohhhh, kay then, folks! Glad to see you're interested in the property. What do you think, ?" The landlord flashed Zig a bleached white smile. Zig sighed and looked at Maddie, who was busily gnawing on her own fingers.

"Yep, we'll take it." Zig stole a glance at Maya, "Especially since the kitchen is a decent size. That means the table can be a decent size, meaning I can maybe put this one on said table…" He smirked, winking at Maya, before turning to the landlord, "She's freaky like that.."

"Don't worry, _Zigmund_. I'm used to it." Maya stated matter-of-factly, partially to keep his grimy hands off their – _her_ – daughter, and partially because she wanted to remind him that _she_ had been the one raising Maddie for the past year and _she_ was the one who knew all of her habits.

She continued to smile up at Zig as he agreed to purchase the apartment, completely oblivious to the landlord's discomfort, trying her best to act the part of a doting girlfriend. "Oh, _Ziggy_! There's no need for that, is there?" She asked, grabbing his arm and digging her nails into his skin to let him know she wasn't pleased about him discussing their non-existent sex life in front of their soon-to-be landlord. But she refused to let him have the last laugh. Leaning up, she brushed her lips against his ear in a way she knew would make him weak in the knees. "Besides… we both know I'm not the only one who's a freak in bed. I still have that those handcuffs you were _so_ fond of… and the whip…" Licking her lips, she gauged his reaction for a moment before turning her attention back to the landlord. "It's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for showing us around."

"Zigmund?! Really?" He glared at her, before remembering that the landlord was still standing there. Zig forced a smile, "I mean…oh, darling, you know how much—" He teeth grit a bit as he turned his eyes towards her, "—-I hate to be called that." He rolled his eyes a bit, convientantly forgetting to 'pretend' anymore for Maya.

"AHH.." He hissed slightly as he felt Maya's nails cut into him, knowing very well that there would be crescent-moon-shaped indentations in his flesh, thanks to her. He kept his grin up, despite the pain. He felt an odd mix of pain and pleasure as she stood up and her soft lips brushed against his ear to whisper to him. Woah! They had never done that before, but damn Maya learned some interesting things while he'd been gone! He wondered to himself what it would be like to use handcuffs on *her*—when suddenly, he realized their tour was over.

"THANK GOD!" He shouted, falling to his knees and dramatically acting as though he were sincerely praising someone for being done with that awful tour. "No more face pains from pretending to smile…" He saw Maddie cooing at him from Maya's arms and he smiled warmly at the sweet toddler, "Is that so? Are you talking to me?" He wanted to hold her so badly. He resisted as he coughed to get his voice back from talking to a baby. "So, then, we're getting it? Because I am putting a down payment on it tomorrow, then. We'll get the shit moved in and then you and Maddie can be in here in just a couple of days." He turned to face her, arms folded.

Maya just smirked at him, eyes twinkling with mirth. She knew how much he hated being called his full name, but it was so much fun getting under his skin like this. "I don't know why you don't like it, Ziggy. It's such a nice name." She teased, still managing to keep up her ditzy façade even though she just wanted to laugh at Zig's expense.

As she dug her nails into his arm and felt him shudder when she whispered to him, she couldn't help but smirk triumphantly, knowing full well that she was getting to him. She half expected to throw caution into the wind, pin her to the nearest surface and have his way with her – but of course, he kept his composure. Just barely. Bidding the flustered landlord farewell, they made their way out of the building and out the door, where Zig dropped to his knees and starting praising the lord.

Maya rolled her eyes as she walked past him, and as she got the stroller ready for Maddie, she heard her daughter gurgling incoherently at the dark-haired boy behind her (and to make things worse, he spoke back!) and fought the urge to yell. Buckling Maddie in, she made sure she was secure before turning to face Zig once more. "Sounds great." She murmured.

"I'll shoot you a text when we're good to go, then." Zig waved at the baby, knowing that he wasn't supposed to be touching her unless Maya wanted him to. It pained him to know he couldn't give those cherub cheeks a kiss, but, this was the way it had to be. At least until Maya decided that maybe he could be trusted with the baby. That he deserved to even talk to Maddie. He hoped that wouldn't take long, but from the looks of it, it was going to be a bumpy ride.

**~ End of Chapter Three ~**

**Reviews are always appreciated**

**And yes, Maya put 'Dickhead' as Zig's name in her phone. xD.**


End file.
